Ligonier is the site of a reconstruction of Fort Ligonier, an example of a frontier fort of the French and Indian War. Ligonier is also known for its downtown square, the Diamond, which has a bandstand in the middle.
History
In 1758, when British forces launched a major campaign to remove French forces from the forks of the Ohio, now Pittsburgh, this spot on Loyalhanna Creek was the site of their westernmost camp before reaching the Ohio. The British maintained a large army, a virtual moving city of 6,000 people, that temporarily made Ligonier the second-most populated spot in Pennsylvania, second only to Philadelphia. Fort Ligonier was named after John Ligonier,[5] a British noble of French origin who held the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Eventually, the name of the settlement that grew up around the fort was shortened to Ligonier.
Image of Fort Ligonier
In 1817, the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Turnpike was completed, a gravel road that was the precursor to today's US Route 30. Fort Ligonier was a logical place for travelers to break their journey, and with such commercial opportunities in mind, a local resident named John Ramsay (sometimes spelled Ramsey) laid out the street plan, including the space now known as the Diamond. He initially called the town Ramseytown, later changed to Wellington (after the Duke of Wellington), and finally the name was changed to Ligonier.[6] Several decades of prosperity followed. On April 10, 1834, Ligonier was incorporated as a borough.[7]
However, in 1852 the Pennsylvania Railroad was completed, which bypassed Ligonier and passed through the towns of Bolivar and Latrobe instead. Traffic shifted from horse-drawn vehicles to the railroad, causing the community's population to drop to 350 according to the 1860 census.[8]
Ligonier benefited when the Ligonier Valley Railroad was completed in 1877, linking the community to Latrobe where connections to the Pennsylvania Railroad were possible.[9] The Ligonier Valley Railroad enabled lumber, coal, and quarried stone to be transported out of the Ligonier Valley, which spurred development of the town. Additionally, the railroad made it easier for Pittsburgh residents to visit Ligonier, causing the town to develop as a summer resort. Some major physical changes to Ligonier occurred during this period. In 1894, the Diamond, which had been used as a corral for horses and wagons, was transformed into a park with a bandstand. A large hotel, the Hotel Breniser, was built in 1900 where the town hall currently sits.[8][10] In 1909–1910, the Ligonier Valley Railroad built an ornate station and headquarters building, which still stands at 339 West Main Street.
In 1952, the Ligonier Valley Railroad ceased operation, due to a combination of overlogging, decline of the coal industry, and the loss of passenger traffic to motor vehicles.
Ligonier and its surrounding countryside are strongly associated with the Mellon banking family, which still owns considerable tracts of land in the area. The Huntland Downs estate, near Ligonier, comprises some 30,000 acres (100 km2) of land and is the centerpiece of the Mellon land holdings in the region.
Former train station, now school district offices
Fort Ligonier
Ligonier's downtown with the Town Hall in the background.
As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 1,695 people, 827 households, and 459 families residing in the borough.[3] The population density was 3,482.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,344.6/km2). There were 907 housing units at an average density of 1,863.5 per square mile (719.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.76% White, 0.06% Asian, and 0.18% from two or more races. Of the population, 0.35% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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